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Hunting Dog Question

What could cause a dog to perform excellent in training with birds off zinger with 12gauge shots and run great marks, deliver to hand just perfect. Then on a real hunts have no desire to retrieve in easier setup than training.

Sounds like you have trained him to do a great job and getting birds off Zingers at the gun report but have not taken the time to teach the dog how to hunt ducks. I have seen that plenty.....good dog, very trained up on trial stuff and could not keep up with a pup in the real hunting field. Real hunting is different. Take him hunting......Don

My MH had trouble on his first pheasant hunt--no gunner stations! Our SH who is a great upland dog kept finding birds and putting them up, and the other dog finally figured out it was a different game and he got to go find his own birds!!

Sounds like you have trained him to do a great job and getting birds off Zingers at the gun report but have not taken the time to teach the dog how to hunt ducks. I have seen that plenty.....good dog, very trained up on trial stuff and could not keep up with a pup in the real hunting field. Real hunting is different. Take him hunting......Don

Great point Don. This could not be more true. You have to train your dog to hunt just as you train to run hunt test or field trials. When you take the dog hunting you don't always have to shoot, but have him just sit in the duck blind with you. The atmosphere is different and it takes some adjusting for the dog.

I can't see how he wouldn't know what's expected of him, birds falling 10 yds away. Same way I've trained all my dogs and others to hunt. So what do u recommend I modify to teach this dog to hunt? It's actually making no sense to me.

I had a reverse issue with one of my versatile dogs...no interest in training chukars or pheasant hens at about a year old but all business in the woods on grouse and coastal ducks. This dog will also walk by Canada Geese at a park with hardly a look still today.

What could cause a dog to perform excellent in training with birds off zinger with 12gauge shots and run great marks, deliver to hand just perfect. Then on a real hunts have no desire to retrieve in easier setup than training.

For clarity do you really mean No Desire? Also - in your training...what happened on a shot flyer?

I can't see how he wouldn't know what's expected of him, birds falling 10 yds away. Same way I've trained all my dogs and others to hunt. So what do u recommend I modify to teach this dog to hunt? It's actually making no sense to me.

What was your reaction when this happened? What would you do if the same thing happened in training? If the answer is different, only then do you have a problem. This is a common thing. Take him hunting and show him that the rules are the same and he will catch on.